Love is a Duel
by LillianLockhart
Summary: Pansy decides to make Draco love her once and for all and slips some love tonic in his drink. When it doesn't work exactly as she planned, Draco's world is turned upside down by a pair of bespectacled emerald green eyes. Is it only downhill from here?
1. Chapter One

**Love is a Duel**

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters, places, and any objects from the Harry Potter series belong to J.K. Rowling. No profit is being made from this as it is purely a fan service._

**Chapter One**

"It'll never work."

"Oh, of _course_ it will! Look here, Blaise, the bottle says 'Guaranteed to make the drinker fall madly in love with you in exactly three seconds!" Pansy Parkinson squealed, waving a smallish bottle in Blaise's face as they walked.

In front of the doors leading to the Great Hall, the two of them stopped. Blaise pinched the bridge of his nose. "Pansy," he sighed patiently. "Let me get this straight. Those 'love tablets,' or whatever they're called, are from a third year Hufflepuff who claims he got it from some underground organization in Birmingham. What would a thirteen-year-old be doing connected to any underground _anything_?" He sighed again. "Besides, I wouldn't trust that Hufflepuff as far as I could throw 'im!"

The petite blond put her hands on her hips. "Well, what about all that 'just and loyal' tripe, then?"

Blaise raised his hands defensively. "All I'm saying is you may regret it."

She looked back down at the bottle of large purple tablets. "Well, he did say others have used it successfully before." A slow smile grew on her face. "In any case, _he'll_ be the sorry one if it doesn't work."

The brunette shivered involuntarily at the thought of Pansy-Wrath. "Why don't you just wait until the holidays are over? We leave tomorrow morning, so wouldn't it be pointless to do it now?"

"Ah, but this is the genius of my plan," Pansy smirked. "All throughout the holidays, the potion will be working inside him -- torturing him with my absence. And when I finally return...." she let out an excited giggle, "he won't be able to control himself!"

A beat of silence passed in which Blaise could have swore he heard evil cackling. He concluded, "You are an evil, shrewd, and . . . and . . . _beastly_ witch."

Pansy's smile only widened as she opened the giant wooden doors. "Why, Zabini, how kind of you to notice."

Following suite, Blaise suddenly found himself feeling exceedingly sorry for Draco Malfoy.

* * *

It was the evening before the holidays officially began. The roof of the Great Hall was a mural of black darkness and white snowflakes. Even the floating candles seemed to shiver against the cold scene. Christmas spirit seemed to know no bounds this year. One of the professors had even charmed the house tapestries so that each of the four animals wore Santa Clause hats and danced about their frames happily.

Draco Malfoy scowled. _Bloody Santa Clause. Bloody snow. Bloody Christmas._

Blaise slipped onto the bench next to Draco and laughed. "Oh, Ba Humbug," he teased.

Glancing at the brunette through his peripheral vision, Draco continued to scowl.

Shaking his head ruefully, Blaise began to drag various foods over to his plate. He cleared his throat, "it's not that bad, Mate. It's not like you'll be _entirely_ alone."

Draco savagely bit the head off of a snow-man shaped cookie before replying, "I _could_ have gone to Peru with my parents, but _no._ McGonagal had to go and give me that D on her exam."

"Yes, McGonagal's a _fiend_ for marking you off for sleeping through all her classes and getting all the questions wrong."

Malfoy turned to look at the Italian boy with surprise, "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"Hey there, Draco!" Pansy's shrill voice broke through their conversation. Suddenly, she pointed across the room and gasped, "What's that?"

Blaise's eyes widened a fraction as Draco glanced up. He shook his head at Pansy as if to say "You're dumb."

She just sneered at him as she quickly moved her robed arm over the part of the table where Draco's goblet sat, untouched. When he turned to look at her again, she shrugged. "Guess it was nothing."

For a moment, he just glared.

She smiled innocently.

"So, Draco. Planning to practice on your Wronski Feint over the holidays?" Blaise asked cheerfully with a mouth full of bread.

Draco turned to the brunette, "Maybe. I think it's a pretty outdated move, though. Even _Ravenclaw's_ seeker would catch on." He picked up his goblet and knocked back a small sip. His expression immediately changed to one of mild surprise and he downed the rest of the juice in three gulps.

Beside him, Pansy was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

_One...._

When he set the goblet down, it refilled itself.

_Two..._

A sudden commotion broke out across the Hall and Draco looked up, curious.

_Three…_

Pansy watched Draco closely for any sign that the potion had worked. Nothing happened - nothing at all; he didn't even glance at her! Pansy growled deep in her throat and pulled the vial back out of her pocket. As his attention was already averted, she slipped another tablet into his drink. Looking back up at his far-away expression, she added one more . . . just in case one wasn't quite strong enough.

"Draco . . . you're not eating." She casually informed him.

He seemed to snap out of his daze and looked at her only briefly before turning his attention to the bit of roast chicken in front of him, seeming a bit shaken.

Pansy watched him for a few minutes, but then grew impatient. She suddenly cleared her throat and picked up her own goblet of pumpkin juice. She tried it and put on a blissful expression. "Mmm! They must have added something extra to the pumpkin juice, Draco. It's divine!"

He nodded lazily, digging his fork violently into a heap of mashed potatoes.

"Try it!" she insisted giddily, and proceeded to shove Draco's goblet down his throat.

He batted her away, snatching the drink from her hand. "What's gotten into you?" He asked with a slight sneer, but he drank from the goblet anyway. Pansy's smile widened hopefully.

Draco noticed it this time. Something was wrong. He stopped and glanced down at the half-empty goblet. That's when he noticed . . . it had a very peculiar hue. Just like a poti… "What did you do to my pumpkin juice, Parkinson?" he demanded, practically throwing the goblet back onto the table. It's contents splashed onto the wood, staining it crimson. A puff of white steam rose from the table-top in the shape of small hearts.

The sound of laughter filled Draco's ears and he looked across the hall to find the source of the sound. His eyes widened as his searching gaze fell again on his arch rival's smiling face. There was a sudden stirring in the pit of his stomach and he wished very much that he didn't know exactly what it meant. But, being Draco Malfoy, he knew.

Looking back down at Pansy, he noticed something else, a bottle of – were those _pills_? – half-hidden in the folds of her robes. He instantly snatched them from her and read the label, his breath hitching in his throat.

He looked up and caught the startling emerald green eyes of a certain Boy-Who-Lived.

_Merde._

_

* * *

  
_

_Author's Note: This is something of a prologue. So please forgive how short it is. Oh, and "merde" is the French expletive of "shit"._


	2. Chapter Two

**Love is a Duel**

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters, places, and any objects from the Harry Potter series belong to J.K. Rowling. No profit is being made from this as it is purely a fan service._

**Chapter Two**

Pansy's horrified blue eyes met Blaize's rather confused dark ones. She snatched the bottle out of Draco's hand, whose eyes were still locked on the Gryffindor table.

The flustered Slytherin girl turned the bottle over in her hands, searching the small print for something she might have missed. Sure enough, there it was in big, bold red letters. 'Warning: the person subjected to the love tonic must be looking directly at the one to whom the effects would be focussed on.'

Pansy then brought the thick glass bottle against her big, stupid forehead. Hard. "Ow," she mumbled quietly. How could she be so thick? Leave it to Pansy Parkinson to dash up a 'fool-proof' (for that's what was written just below the warning) love potion. She looked back up at Draco, whose gaze was still directed somewhere near the centre of the Gryffindor table.

She waved a hand in front of his face. He didn't even blink. His only movement was to brace both hands on the tabletop in front of him, looking prepared to stand up.

Feeling slightly panicky, Pansy shook his shoulder as violently as she could, "Draco!" but it had little effect; the blond only stood up, shoving her away.

"Blaize!" she pleaded, managing a tight grip around one of Draco's arms while Blaize forcefully took the other. With a little team effort, they dragged the smitten prince across the Great Hall and through the doors to the Entrance Hall, gaining many turned heads and curious expressions.

Seemingly realizing he could no longer see emerald, Draco stood up and shook off the hands of his former 'friends.' He cleared his throat, slipping one hand into his pocket. A thin eyebrow rose in a "Talk. Now." sort of way.

Pansy attempted to look indignant and apologetic all at once, resulting in a rather remarkable impression of a pigeon. "Err," was her well-thought-out explanation.

Blaize rolled his eyes impatiently and decided to translate. "She bought a bottle of love pills from some third year and thought it'd be interesting to have you suffering the effects for her over the holidays."

Draco's expression didn't waver. He was by no means an idiot. He knew exactly what had just transpired and beating around the bush wasn't going to help his unfortunate situation. "Well, Pansy, it seems I _will_ be suffering the effects, although it doesn't appear to be towards you." He let his gaze fall to the floor in front of him. His face took on a pained expression, "and to Harry bloody Potter, no less. I think it's sufficient to say you've officially screwed up, Parkinson."

Pansy groaned, burying her guilty face in her hands. "I didn't mean—"

Suddenly, Draco chuckled, interrupting her would-be apology. "This is just grand, isn't it?" Still smiling without a trace of amusement, he pointed a threatening finger at Pansy's nose. "You will, of course, have the antidote before you leave tomorrow." The sentence had a tone of finality laced with threat.

She nodded dumbly, stepping aside as Draco sauntered past.

Blaize took a step closer to the terrified Slytherin and gave her a self-satisfied look. "I told you so," he sang, rocking back on his heels.

"Belt up! The potion worked, didn't it?" she insisted, clenching her fists. "It's not my fault the Gryffindors had to make all that noise."

The smug brunette glanced toward the doors of the Great Hall. "Tell me, dear friend: how do you plan on getting that antidote before we leave? I don't have to remind you it's first thing in the morning, do I?"

"I don't," she half-whispered, casting a wary glance behind her to make sure Draco had indeed gone. Then she started to walk an alternate route to the Slytherin Common Room, Blaize falling into step beside her.

The smug look was replaced by a mildly shocked one. "You don't? You're just going to stand aside and let you're "fiancé," as you call him, have a crush on his worst enemy for Merlin _knows_ how long?" He sucked in air through his teeth, making a hissing sound. "That's not exactly the best plan you've had all night, Panse."

"Oh, he's just a great catch is all. There's plenty of other men out there my mother would approve of. So she'll throw a hissy fit when she finds out, but she'll get over it. It's unfortunate... but it's not like much would change anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sometimes love and hate serve exactly the same purpose," she mused, almost to herself.

Blaize almost grinned. "Draco's going to kill you. I hope you know that."

"Mm Hmm, but for now let's just kick back and enjoy the holidays. Maybe I'll ask that Hufflepuff about the antidote when we get back."

* * *

The next morning, Draco woke to find a yellow post-it note stuck to his forehead. His eyes crossed as he sleepily tried to figure out what it was. When he began to feel a head-ache coming on, he took the note off and read the hurried blue scrawl in confusion.

_Draco,_

_I'm afraid I couldn't find the antidote in time. You'll have to wait it out until we get back._

_Sincerest apologies,_

_Pansy and B_

The rest of the second name had been a blur of smudged ink and a line whizzing to the other end of the paper. It looked like someone had tried savagely to stop Pansy's writing before the name could be finished.

Draco leapt from his bed, almost tripping on the blankets that had somehow wound themselves tightly around his legs. After a minute spent trying to untangle himself, Draco ran out of his private dormitory and into the main one. Not one of the sixth year Slytherin boys remained. He tried the common room -- not a soul. Well, there was the bloody baron looming near the fireplace, but no _living_ soul was to be seen.

"Where is everyone?" he asked idly, already knowing the answer.

"Left this morning for the holidays," the ghost barked gruffly as he made his way through the fireplace's adjacent wall.

Crumbling the little yellow note in his hand, Draco threw it into the crackling fire moodily. How was he supposed to deal with this? The way he had looked at Potter last night.... He shuddered at the memory and then froze. "Wait, if I still think Potter's repulsive... then maybe the potion didn't work!" At this, the blond began to grin. "Not even Pansy's _screw-up_ works right." He laughed to himself and walked back to his dorm to get ready for breakfast.

He was still smiling as he burst through the doors to the Great Hall. His eyes searched the crowd for Potter. He told himself it was just to make sure the potion was defective. When his eyes fell on their target, his smile slid away. His grey eyes blinked slowly, taking in the sight.

Potter was sitting alone at the Gryffindor table, staring sullenly at his plate while he poked it with a fork. His black hair looked unnaturally soft, and hung down around his eyes in an endearing way that tugged on Draco's heart. Even from this distance, he could see the Gryffindor's tie was missing and the top few buttons of his Oxford shirt were unbuttoned, baring his neck in a seemingly casual fashion. Draco found it extremely _uncasual_ as he felt his own tie tighten itself around his throat, which itself had gone a bit dry.

Memories of the night before filled Draco's mind, but they were laced with a thick fog. It had been something about Pansy and pumpkin juice... hadn't it? But then his eyes focused themselves in on the brunette again and he smirked. _To hell with Pansy, _he found himself thinking. _I want to talk to Potter._

_

* * *

  
_

Harry Potter sat alone at the Gryffindor table, staring holes in his breakfast. Ron and Hermione were already miles away, gone home for the holidays. So Harry was left alone at the practically empty table; Seamus and Dean were the only 6th year Gryffindors who hadn't left, but they were deeply engaged in a conversation that must have been Quidditch-related because they both looked particularly interested in whatever it was they were talking about.

He was about to get up and go for a walk around the grounds when a shadow suddenly interrupted his glaring match with the table's polished wood. His eyes roamed upwards and then widened a fraction. "What do _you_ want, Malfoy?" His emerald eyes slid easily into an irritated glare.

Draco tilted his head, allowing a few tendrils of blond hair to fall away from his unnaturally focused grey eyes. "That's a fine hello," he said sarcastically, a smirk twitching at the side of his mouth. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you didn't like me, Potter."

"Oh, how clever you are," Harry mumbled, and his glare intensified when the Slytherin sat himself down on the other side of the table and began to fill his plate with various breakfast foods. "What are you doing _now_?"

Draco looked up with amusement flickering in his eyes. "Well, I don't know about you, Potter, but I _think_ this is called having breakfast. Some civilizations do that in the mornings, you know."

"Shut up," Harry said, leaning forward as if it would make him see through the blond's odd behaviour. "You know what I meant, Malfoy! Why are you here? Go back to you own sort." He made a shoo-ing motion towards the other end of the Great Hall.

"Such a temper," the Slytherin commented. "I only wanted to have a friendly conversation. It's a wonder you've got friends at all. Although, it seems they've deserted you this year."

"Like yours are any better."

"Touché," he nodded, thinking briefly of Pansy, but at the moment he couldn't seem to remember why he was supposed to be mad at her in the first place. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember much of anything before this morning. Why was here again, at the Gryffindor table and trying to talk to Harry Potter? Didn't he hate that bloke? He looked up into his rival's handsome face and knew that no, he definitely didn't.

Harry stared hard at the pale teenager across from him. He seemed to be lost in thought, but when his eyes slid up to meet Harry's, the eyes instantly cleared and he smirked as if enjoying the confused scrutiny. _What the bloody hell is going on?_ Harry wondered. Draco appearing out of nowhere to eat breakfast at the Gryffindor table, and trying to be jovial to boot! Suddenly realizing he'd been staring for longer than he'd meant to, Harry flushed and looked back down at his untouched plate. "Bugger off, Malfoy."

"You know, you're making it awfully hard to get along--"

"Get along?" Harry looked back up at Draco. "Get along? You've done nothing but irritate and torment me and my friends for near on to six years! And now you suddenly want to get along?"

"My friends and _me, _Potter," Draco corrected, seemingly unfazed by the other boy's outburst.

Harry's eyes widened before he let out a low growl, stood up and headed towards the double doors leading to the Grounds.

Draco turned pleasantly to Seamus and Dean, who had been staring during the whole exchange in suspended animation. "Must be that time of the month," he smirked before getting up to follow the Golden Boy.

It didn't take much to find him; the boy-who-lived was so very predictable. He was on his way to Hagrid's. What's more, the deep footprints in the snow weren't exactly misleading. The Slytherin took off down the make-shift trail, making a beeline for the hooded figure ahead.

At the sound of another set of boots crunching the snow behind him, Harry spun around to see Draco Malfoy careening towards him, having just slipped on one of the many ice patches throughout the Grounds.

Before he realized it, he was lying flat on his back with the insufferable Slytherin on top of him, chest-to-chest, and groin-to-groin.

"Malfoy!" he gasped out, his breath coming out in a white mist. "Get off!"

The other wizard had been equally surprised, but quickly regained his composure as he stared down at the brunette pinned beneath him. He was even more handsome than ever with his hair dotted with snowflakes and a dark pink blush coating his cheeks. He watched Harry blink as a snowflake landed on his eyelid. "Actually, I think I quite like the current arrangement." he finally said, and felt his stomach flip as if to prove the statement true.

Harry let out another gasp and his eyes widened when Draco suddenly shifted, and he felt certain nether regions moving against his own. _Bloody hell,_ Harry thought, only dimly aware of his arms being pinned above his head. _Something is definitely wrong here._ He struggled recklessly against the Slytherin's hold, but he stopped when he heard a sharp moan at the contact. Suddenly feeling very angry, Harry put all of his strength into the struggle, successfully flinging Malfoy off of him and onto his back in the cold snow.

Straddling his waist to keep him still, Harry pinned his arms above his head just like Draco had done to him. He glared fiercely at the glazed grey eyes below him. "What the hell are you playing at, Malfoy?"

"Why, Potter, whatever do you mean?" he drawled silkily, lifting his head until their noses were nearly touching. For a moment, the white puffs of air coming from the Gryffindor's mouth stopped altogether.

Draco twisted his head to the side and slid his tongue up Harry's cheek.

The brunette leapt up, wiping the tainted side of his face with his sleeve. Getting frustrated with his enemy's antics, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at Draco's chest threateningly.

"_Oi, what's goin' on 'ere?"_


	3. Chapter Three

**Love is a Duel**

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters, places, and any objects from the Harry Potter series belong to J.K. Rowling. No profit is being made from this as it is purely a fan service._

_**Chapter Three**_

"Oi! What's goin' on 'ere?" boomed the unmistakable voice of Rubeus Hagrid.

Harry jumped at the voice and turned towards the approaching half-giant, slipping his wand back into his robes and trying his best to look innocent. "Oh, Hagrid!" he plastered on a grin. "I was just coming down to see you."

"This wouldn't be 'nother fight, would it, Harry?" Rubeus asked bluntly, giving Harry his best stern look. "I'd hate ter give out detentions, it bein' the holidays an' all!"

"No! No, it's not a fight. He – I was just – well, he just slipped." he said lamely, not wanting to reveal to the Gamekeeper just what _had_ been going on; especially since Harry wasn't so sure what was going on himself.

Hagrid glanced at Draco, who remained silent. The blond was already back on his feet and standing about a yard from Harry, his hands tucked into his pockets for warmth. Both of them _seemed_ unscathed.... "He fell, did 'e?"

"Yes," Draco put in helpfully and Harry realized the Slytherin hadn't taken his eyes off him throughout the entire conversation. "I fell."

"I see," Hagrid mumbled, patting thoughtfully at his beard. A wrinkle of confusion was etched between his eyebrows but it faded after a moment. "Well, tha' settles it, I suppose!" He patted the Gryffindor on the back with one gigantic hand, which almost sent him careening to the ground again. "C'mon, 'arry, let's go inside where it's warm."

The Caretaker took a few steps forward before seeming to remember something. He looked over his shoulder apprehensively, "Err, Mr. Malfoy, ye want ter.... join us for a cuppa tea?"

Harry was shaking his head frantically behind Hagrid and mouthing 'No, no, no!'

Draco winked discreetly at the brunette before saying, "Well, I've got nothing better to do."

Harry glared.

Once they were inside the hut, Draco found it to be surprisingly cosy despite its disastrous appearance. He tried to be subtle with his disgusted expression, "Just _who _is your interior decorator?"

"Interior decorator?" Hagrid chuckled and stooped in front of the fireplace, effectively blocking it from view. "Never 'ad the luxury of one 'o them, Mr. Malfoy."

"Well, remind me to give you my card if my business ever picks up. This place needs serious _help_!"

Harry, who was sitting on the opposite end of the couch from Malfoy, stared at him openly. "You want to do interior decorating?"

Draco nodded. "And start my own wizardry clothing line."

Harry raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips as if to say "who knew?"

The two Hogwarts students waited on the sofa while Hagrid busied himself with the kettle. The smell of brewing tea soon filled the cabin.

Due to the poor condition of the worn sofa, the two boys were pushed together by the combination of gravity and droopy cushions, sitting almost shoulder-to-shoulder; _almost_, as Harry was clinging to the fabric for dear life.

Draco smirked again and his eyes glinted mischievously as he snaked one booted foot behind Harry's leg (the one he happened to be using to balance himself away from Draco) and kicked outward.

Losing his support, Harry toppled sideways. His shoulder met Malfoy's harshly while, against his will, his right hand found purchase on the Slytherin's chest, clutching the surprisingly soft fabric in shock.

Malfoy's nose was brushing lightly against Harry's, and the brunette could feel the blood rushing to his face. He didn't have to look up to be infuriated my Malfoy's arrogant smirk.

"Well, hell_o_, Potter..." he purred into Harry's ear.

When Hagrid turned around, carrying a tray of floral-printed teacups, his black eyes flitted between the two students curiously. A red-faced Harry Potter was sitting across the room, half hidden in the soft cushions of a lounge chair and staring determinedly at a speck on the floor. A smirking Draco Malfoy sat in his original spot, staring determinedly at Harry, who seemed to be all too aware of the fact.

He shook his head, amused, as he sat the tray on the table and handed a cup to each boy.

Draco took his gratefully, wrapping his long fingers around the warm mug. He let the steam rise to heat his face before knocking back a small sip, glancing at Harry over the brim. Noticing that the brunette was watching him, he winked, causing a tinge of pink to rise in the other boy's face again. "Well," he began after a few more long moments of silence. He set his empty mug on the table. "I guess I'll be on my way, then." He stood up, throwing on his cloak and a pair of black gloves (which seemed to appear out of no where). "Thank you for the tea, _Hagrid_. See you, _Potter_."

In passing his chair, Harry distinctly felt Malfoy's hand brush his own on the armrest (hidden from view by his cloak) before leaving, closing the door silently behind him.

Hagrid stared at the door. Finally, he cleared his throat and looked at the equally confused young man before him.

"So, what do you think? Is he just off his rocker, or could he be planning something?" Harry asked curiously.

"What? Well, I don' know 'bout that, Harry – I mean, maybe he's turnin' over a new leaf now his dad's not influencin' 'im any more.." His voice clearly betrayed his doubt.

"Yeah, and maybe Hermione'll fail ancient runes."

Hagrid chuckled at that.

* * *

Outside, Draco Malfoy had decided to take a walk along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Pulling his scarf up over his mouth, the Slytherin sighed. Now that his head was clearing up from the crisp morning air; flashes of last night were playing in his head over and over.

How could Pansy be so stupid? He knew she had intended the love potion to be for him. But how could she screw it up, then _leave_ him alone to deal with it? If there had ever been a chance in hell that Draco would ask for her hand in marriage (which Draco severely doubted, no matter how much his mother pleaded), then there was _certainly_ no chance now.

_Potter, _of all people.

_Yes, Potter,_ his mind drawled silkily. _Harry Potter with those emerald eyes and messy jet black hair. Harry, and that perfectly lean Seeker's body, with just enough musc-_

"Um," Draco suddenly shivered despite his warming spell, placing a hand onto a nearby tree to steady himself. Yes, Pansy would pay for this. But while she's away, it wouldn't hurt to mess with Boy Wonder a bit, would it? At least he wouldn't be bored.

The sound of a door closing echoed from the distance and Malfoy turned to see Potter leaving Hagrid's hut. He smirked.

* * *

The rest of the day found Harry in a slowly increasing rate of panic. The Slytherin Prince seemed to know the castle inside and out, _almost_ as well as Harry himself knew it. He was showing up everywhere he went; he was there at almost every turn.

And so had this chase of sorts begun. Harry was out of breath from running down corridors and pivoting to duck under a secret tapestry-hidden passageway. Malfoy seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his confused frenzy; he practically laughed at the other boy's expression each time he was confronted.

Spotting Seamus Finnegan on his way to Gryffindor tower, Harry instantly reached out, buried his fingers in his black robes and slammed the Irishman against the wall (as lightly as he could when running, of course). He looked around frantically and turned back to his subject. "Hide me, Seamus" he pleaded desperately.

For a moment Seamus seemed to be too stunned to answer. He stared up into Harry's eyes with a clouded expression. "Uh... w-what?

"I think I'm being stalked or something."

Finnegan shook his head to clear it."Stalked?"

"Yeah, now where the hell can I hide? He'll show up any minute!"

"Harry, I didn't know you were the sort--,"

"Seamus!" he pleaded again.

"Alright, alright, follow me. I'll cover for you." Once he was released, Seamus walked across the corridor and opened a door the brunette had been too preoccupied to notice. Harry stepped inside what looked like an empty office and the door was closed behind him. Leaning with his ear against the thin wood, he waited.

Out in the corridor, Seamus was inspecting the high ceiling. He rocked back and forth on his heels when he saw a figure (who he assumed must be Harry's pursuer) appear around the corner.

The figure walked towards him and when the redhead saw just who it was, he stiffened, momentarily forgetting to act casual. Why would Harry Potter be running from a Slytherin – let alone Malfoy? _Or . . . more accurately, why would Malfoy be chasing Harry?_

"Where is he?" came the half amused, half annoyed voice of Draco.

"Who?"

He sneered, giving Finnegan a piercing look. "Harry Potter," he almost purred as if relishing in the feel of saying the name.

"Uh, oh him. . . . W- well, he's _certainly_ not alone in this empty office behind me, if that's what you're thinking!" Seamus said, having promptly lost his wits again.

A beat of silence passed.

A muffled curse was heard from beyond the door.

"Errr . . . I meant—"

"Step aside, Finnegan," said Malfoy, pushing past him.

The door was wrenched open and Harry found himself face to face with his long-time-rival-gone-mad. Silver eyes held the gaze of emerald green as Draco closed the door and a complicated locking charm echoed throughout the empty room.

The two of them could hear Seamus beating on the door and yelling "Alohamora" over and over.

Draco smirked and began to walk forward, causing Harry to walk backwards.

When he felt the professor's desk hinder his progress, the Gryffindor seemed to realize what was going on. He stood up straight just as the other finally reached him and glared "Stop right there!"

The Slytherin complied, stopping mere inches from his quarry.

"Now, tell me, what the bloody hell is going on? Why are– why are you.... being all… all…" Harry found himself unable to finish his sentence as Draco had just leaned forward, placing both hands on the desk on either side of him. The tips of their noses were almost touching for the third time that day.

Quite suddenly, he felt warm and out of breath. Why is it so warm in here? _Why the hell does he always get so close?_

"All _what,_ Harry?" Draco asked, his breath ghosting down the Gryffindor's exposed neck, producing an involuntary shiver. "Attractive? Intimidating?" He grinned and moved his head to whisper in Harry's ear, "Devilishly charming?"

It took a few seconds but Harry managed to recover. "Completely out of character," he stated clearly, trying to block all confused thoughts from his mind.

This seemed to slow the Slytherin down; he stood up a little straighter and blinked as if trying to free himself from a daydream. His expression betrayed some sort of inner battle. His forehead creased in thought and his mouth was set in a thin line. "Potter," he suddenly spat in meek disgust, taking three steps away. He met Harry's eyes and his confused glare melted, then resurfaced, and then melted away again. Growling loudly in frustration, he strode forward and returned to practically pinning Harry to the desk.

Harry's breath caught in his throat as he felt Draco's arm snake over his waist to pull him closer. Out of instinct, he threw up his hands to the Slytherin's chest to stop him, but in his current state of confusion it wasn't enough. He felt more than saw the blond begin to lower his head. "Stop, Malfoy! Why are you- What's wrong with you?" He didn't mean it as an accusation; he meant it as an honest question. Something was seriously wrong with Malfoy, and he felt he had a right to know what it was, especially when said problem involved them… doing what Harry thought they had been about to do.

A loud splintering sound boomed around them just then and the two of them jumped in surprise and turned to see Seamus Finnegan holding his wand in front of him like a sword. Bits of wood and metal from the door rained around him. It reminded Harry of some kind of super hero.

With Malfoy distracted, Harry slipped out under the Slytherin's arms and ran to hide behind Seamus.

"Stupefy!" Seamus growled and Draco slumped to the classroom floor.

"Alright, Harry?" he asked.

"Yea," Harry squeaked in a high pitched voice. "Ahem, I mean yes. Let's go." And the Boy Who Lived and his savior ran for Gryffindor Tower.


	4. Chapter Four

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters, places, and any objects from the Harry Potter series belong to J.K. Rowling. No profit is being made from this as it is purely a fan service._

_**Chapter Four: Talks**_

Harry walked with Seamus silently all the way to Gryffindor tower. Only a few students were in the common room, either playing exploding snap or just hanging out in front of the large fire. When he stopped to look around at the other students, Seamus gestured for him to keep following him. He obliged and continued through the room and up to the boys' dormitory.

When they went in through the door, Harry was almost surprised to find it very empty. Apart from Harry and Seamus' trunks, there was nothing to suggest it once held a full group of boisterous and messy 7th year boys. He turned to his own bed and blinked at the sight.

Seamus had made himself comfortable; he was all sprawled out on Harry's bed with his ankles crossed and arms bent behind his head. He smiled lazily up at him and patted the spot next to him on the bed. "I think you and me have a few things to talk about."

Walking towards the bed, Harry fingered the hem of his sleeve nervously. "Like what?"

As the bespectacled boy sat down, Seamus lifted himself up on his elbows and his expression was curious. "We need to talk about Malfoy, of course. Why was he chasing you? Was he about to kiss you? And are you even gay?"

Harry cringed at the crude directness of his questions. "I really don't see how it's any of your business... but I don't know the answer to any of those questions."

Seamus blinked his eyes dramatically. "_Really?_ Well, that makes things interesting."

"Well, you have a morbid sense of what's interesting then."

The Irishman ignored this remark and spoke again, more quietly this time. "How long do you think he's fancied you?"

A blush immediately bloomed on Harry's face. "He doesn't fancy me!"

Seamus snorted. "C'mon, Harry; I'm not daft! He was chasing after you all over Hogwarts, locked himself in an empty classroom with you, and then was about to snog you when I blasted the ruddy door open."

"He was _not_ going to snog me," he said, sounding more confident than he felt.

"Oh, of course not! He was just going to eat your face is all!"

The blush deepened as Harry searched for an explanation that couldn't be found. None of the conclusions he came to made any bit of sense. "Maybe he's gone crazy," he muttered absent-mindedly. "It could be some kind of spell or potion gone wrong.... But, no, we haven't been working on any potions lately. And what kind of spell could do _this?_ Maybe he's finally cracked under all the pressure of changing sides. Or maybe he really _does..." _he trailed off at that thought.

Seamus only stared up at him quietly though his musing with a sort of forlorn expression on his face. He was quite for a few moments before he finally spoke. "Did you want him to do it?"

"Do what?" Harry asked, turning his head to catch his friend's steady gaze.

Seamus smiled. "To kiss you."

He blinked in surprise. "Of course not. I'm not even gay. At least, I don't think I am. The only girl I've ever dated is Cho and she was... well, you know."

Chuckling, Finnegan nodded in understanding. "I'd heard." He pushed himself up into a sitting position and directed his smile at Harry. "Maybe I could help you with that."

"With what – Cho?" Harry asked, scrunching up his nose.

"No, I meant with finding your sexuality."

Harry stared at him for a few moments. "What's yours?"

Seamus grinned cheekily. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed. I've been out of the closet since 5th year, Harry."

"Really?" Harry asked, a bit surprised. "And I never knew."

"Right, well, you were a bit busy at the time." Instead of accusing, his gaze revealed only admiration.

"Oh, right." He stared down at the floor shyly.

He felt Seamus' hand gently lift his chin so that Harry was looking at him. The brown-eyed boy was biting his lip, his brow creasing. "Harry, will you go to Hogsmeade with me next week?"

Remembering the question of his orientation, he asked, "You mean like a date?"

"Only if you want to see it like a date," the other boy said carefully. "If not, it can just be a normal trip to Hogsmeade."

Harry stared at him for a few moments, considering him. _When did he get so caring?_ He wondered. He seemed like he genuinely wanted to help, even if it meant nothing for Seamus himself. Finally he smiled and said, "Okay."

* * *

When the stunning spell had finally worn off, Draco staggered to his feet and brushed himself off meticulously. He wondered idly why there were no professors here yet. They usually jumped at the first sign of magic being used in the halls. Deciding not to question his blessing, he cast _reparo_ on the door and made his way to the dungeons, lost in thought.

The effects of the love potion only seemed to work when Draco was actually looking at Harry. Even now, he felt like his old self. Like nothing was wrong. Although, he was no fool. He couldn't deny that the boy who lived was good-looking, even by _Malfoy_ standards. If only the boy hadn't been the Chose One... maybe...

Draco shook his head just as he reached his destination. Without bothering to knock, he opened the door and walked into the Potion master's office. "Snape!"

Professor Snape was sitting at his large mahogany desk, bending over a small stack of parchments. He glanced up briefly before returning his attention back to grading. "What is it, Mr. Malfoy."

"I need an antidote to a love potion." he said, trying not to sound coy.

Severus looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "What did you do?"

The younger man huffed in indignation. "_I _didn't do _anything_. I'm the victim here! It's all Pansy's fault!"

"Calm down, Mr. Malfoy. Now sit down and explain to me what happened."

Draco sighed and settled himself into a chair in front of Snape's desk. "Last night, Pansy slipped some kind of love pills into my drink. Blaize said she got it from a third year Hufflepuff who got it from the black market or something like that."

Snape was clutching his quill harshly as she spoke, "Ms. Parkinson used an illegal love potion on you?"

"Yes, but it didn't work right."

Blinking, the professor laid his quill down and leaned forward. "Then why are you looking for an antidote if it was ineffective?"

"Well," Draco bit on his lower lip and tried not to show his embarassment. "It _was _effective. Just not on her. The bottle said the drinker had to be looking at the subject... and I wasn't looking at her."

"Who _were_ you looking at, then?"

He cleared his throat and fidgeted with his sleeve. "Well, can't you just make the antidote? Does it really matter?"

The professor sneered. "Actually, it does. I have to know who the other victim is to be able to help you."

Sighing, the younger of the two lowered his head. "Harry Potter."

A ghost of a smirk crossed Snape's face before it was gone. "I see. As it is, I've never heard of a love potion in the form of pills, so I will need to do some research about illegal brews. I'll let you know when I find something. For the time being, I suggest you stay away from Mr. Potter. Perhaps get out of the castle now and then. There's a Hogsmeade trip on Christmas Eve. I suggest you go. You're dismissed." And with that, the professor went back to his grading.

_Author's Note: Mostly a filler, but still important to the story. :)_


	5. Chapter Five

**Love is a Duel**

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters, places, and any objects from the Harry Potter series belong to J.K. Rowling. No profit is being made from this as it is purely a fan service._

_**Chapter Five: Hogsmeade**_

**Author's Note: IMPORTANT! If you've already read the story before this update, then you might want to read Chapter 4. I put Chapters 2 and 3 together so 4 and 5 are both new! Thanks.**

_It's not necessarily a date_, Harry had to remind himself for the fifth time that morning. He stared at himself in the mirror and fumbled with the last button on his winter robes. _I'm sure he doesn't care what I look like._ In spite of this thought, he raised a hand to try to smooth his wild hair but remained unsuccessful. Sighing in defeat, Harry retreated back into the boys' dorms.

Just as he was opening his trunk, Seamus walked in, seeming to have a bit of a bounce in his step. He closed the door behind him and walked about two feet before he actually noticed Harry. That's when Harry noticed he was carrying a lumpy rucksack over his shoulder. When he caught sight of Harry, he smiled, "Oh, you're awake! Ready to go?"

Harry nodded, "Almost." He rummaged through the contents of the trunk for a few moments before pulling out a palm sized bag that jingled as he stuffed it into his robe's inner pocket. He grabbed his red and gold scarf and stood up. "Right. That's me, then."

And the two walked in silence again.

As Harry wrapped his scarf around his neck, he felt grateful that Seamus was such a comfortable person to be around. If anyone else had offered him something like this . . . whatever this was, he probably would be regretting it already. But with Seamus, Harry was feeling more open than usual. He knew Seamus wouldn't hold anything against him.

_Speaking of grudge-holders, I hope Malfoy's done being insane. I haven't seen him all week. I really do wonder if that day was because of some potions accident or something. Or maybe someone hexed him into it. That sounds even more possible. He wouldn't act like that in his right mind, would he? _Harry almost scoffed. _Of course he wouldn't. He doesn't see me that way. I don't even think he sees _any_ guy that way._

"Alright, Harry?"

Blinking, Harry looked around. A cold breeze was blowing gently against his face and the sounds of a cheerful crowd met his ears. They'd already made it to Hogsmeade. "Wow, that was fast." he commented.

"Yeah, you seemed pretty out of it the whole way. You feeling alright?" Seamus asked. He was still standing beside the brunette, but he faced him with a concerned expression. Laying a hand on Harry's shoulder, he asked, "Is it Malfoy?"

Harry didn't shake the hand off, but he didn't acknowledge it either. He just shrugged uncomfortably, not wanting to admit he'd been thinking about his enemy.

Seamus let it go. "Let's go to Honeyduke's. I know you're a fan of sugar quills."

"How did you know?" asked Harry, genuinely surprised.

"You're not the only one who doesn't pay attention to Professor Bins."

* * *

Draco Malfoy rolled over in his four poster bed and groaned. He was in love with Harry Potter, it was all his friends' fault, and Professor Snape hadn't even been much help. Halfway into the school year and it was already spiralling out of control down a raging river of suckiness.

Staying in bed for the remainder of the break didn't sound like such a bad idea right now. But Professor Snape had suggested getting away from the castle for a bit. Add that to the fact that in his avoiding Harry all week, his mind had been swimming with indecent visions of the Golden Boy, and Draco was ready to go dancing about Voldemort's hideout in a pink tutu if that's what it took.

At that image, Draco scowled and grudgingly got out of bed and sauntered over to the showers. Maybe he could melt Potter from his mind... or freeze him out. Either way.

* * *

"_These_ are _my _favourite," Seamus announced proudly, holding up what looked like a sheet of paper with little drops of candy on them. "I could eat the whole roll." As if to prove his point, he began lapping up the candies one by one with his tongue.

Harry chuckled, holding a sugar quill between his lips. "I've never really seen those before. What is it?"

"It's a muggle sweet, actually. But wizards have perfected it. Each drop tastes different, but it's always good. Not like Bertie Bott's. And some of them make you feel certain emotions, but those are rare to get."

"Seems like the wizarding world is all about surprises," Harry mused absently. He cast a shrinking charm on his bag of candy and dropped it into one of his robe pockets. When he looked up, Seamus was looking at him. "What?"

The other boy smiled. "I keep forgetting that you weren't always a part of the wizarding world. It seems kind of odd, since you're the most important one of us right now."

Harry shook his head, "I'd give anything to never have to think about Voldemort again." He ignored Seamus's wince at the name and continued. "I'd rather not right now, if you don't mind."

"Sure," Seamus nodded immediately. He didn't want Harry to feel uncomfortable. "So, our next destination should be somewhere we can laugh.... Zonko's?"

* * *

"Mr. Malfoy."

Draco slowed to a stop at the sound of his name and looked over his shoulder to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway to the Potions classroom. He held a tattered leather book in one hand and was beckoning him closer with the other. His mouth was set in a thin line. Draco followed him into the classroom and sat down on the nearest tabletop. "You found something?"

The professor nodded and pointed to three tiny vials standing in a row on his desk. "One of these should help us get rid of the effects until we can get a hold of that Hufflepuff."

Not wasting any time, the blond reached out for the nearest bottle, but reared back when his hand was slapped away with Severus's book. "That hurt! What the bloody hell was that for?"

"I'll ask you to kindly watch your mouth, Mr. Malfoy. And you don't just take any random potion without knowing the details first. Don't you ever pay attention in my class? I must have repeated this warning a thousand times since you've been at Hogwarts."

Draco mumbled something that sounded like 'you've said a _lot_ of things about a thousand times,' but Snape seemed to ignore it. He sighed. "Well, get at the details then, _Professor."_

The elder of the two cleared his throat impatiently. "This book holds the only information I could find so far about antidotes for multiple love potions. While it doesn't say anything about pill-form concoctions, it does list a lot of the lesser known potions. This one," he laid an index finger over the top of the first bottle. "Is the remedy for Ledenshaften, which is a German form of Amortentia, and _very_ commonly found in the black market. It's a very flexible brew and extremely easy to modify, making it nearly impossible for the Ministry to detect or prevent in some cases." He moved his finger to rest on the bottle in the middle. "This is a potion to detect illegal substances in the bloodstream and make their origins known. And the last one is just for convenience. It's designed to uncloud the drinker's mind."

Draco blinked and had a mild urge to say "Uhhh...."

The professor picked up the middle vial and held it out for the younger man. "Take this one first.

Taking the pinkie-sized bottle from Severus, Draco uncorked it and hesitantly knocked it back. "Bleghh!" he exclaimed immediately, rubbing his tongue on his sleeve.

Snape almost smirked at him, but was paying more attention to the bright blue aura that surrounded Draco's head. He watched the flickering flames of light and after a few moments, he sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Well, it's not illegal."

"But Pansy said it was!" Draco snapped, feeling frustrated.

"Yes, and I suppose Pansy _would _know all about it, wouldn't she?" Snape drawled sarcastically and gave Draco a pointed look.

Sitting back in seat, Draco took the second phial that Severus held out to him and downed that one with much less protest than the first.

"It will be about twenty minutes before this one takes effect. It has to spread to every limb of your body. If it _is_ Ledenshaften, the effects will wear off soon."

The boy looked up with an almost defeated expression on his face. "And if it's not?"

Severus leaned forward and laced his hands together on the desk. "Then there is little else we can do, Draco." he said in a soft voice. "We'll have to wait for the students to return from their holidays and we'll bring your friends and the benefactor in for questioning."

"C-can you do me a favour, Professor?" At the man's nod, he continued, "I'd rather this stay private, if you know what I mean."

"Of course."

* * *

"Harry, this isn't funny." Seamus said monotonously. He narrowed his eyes at Harry, who had to lean against a railing for support as laughter racked his body.

"Y-yes it is!" Harry nodded, opening his eyes to look at the Irishman again. The other boy's nose had grown to seven inches of it's original size thanks to a piece of candy a second year had given him. "Pinocchio!"

"Pen-oh-ko? What's that?" Seamus asked.

"Nevermind," Harry muttered, finally getting a hold on himself. "Phew!" Then he looked back over at Seamus and doubled over again, chuckling loudly.

"Oh, come on! It's not _that_ funny.... Alright, I'm gonna go kill the kid." With that, Seamus began to stomp off in the direction he'd seen the kid go, but felt a harsh tug on the collar of his robes. In Harry's laughing state, he'd pulled too hard and as Seamus turned around, he ploughed right into Harry and the two of them fell against the outer brick wall of the joke shop.

"Sorry," Harry said through his dying chuckles that were vibrating through his chest and into Seamus's. He reached up to Seamus's face which was turned away from him, and placed a finger on the tip of his nose. With only slight pressure, the nose shrunk back into it's normal size with a _pop. _"It's a harmless gag, really." Harry explained. "Ron pulled that one on me once."

Seamus reached up to feel his nose and smiled in relief. "Thanks."

Harry stared into Seamus's eyes during the awkward silence. "Anytime," he mumbled. Suddenly, he slipped out of his spot between Seamus and the wall and smiled brilliantly. "I'm thirsty. Want to check out the Hog's Head?"

The other boy scrunched up his nose but there was still a smile on his face. He pointed to the rucksack he still held over his shoulder. "Well, I was kind of planning something else."

* * *

Thirty minutes after Draco had left the Potions classroom, he felt better. Better, but probably no closer to solving his problem. Thanks to the last potion, his head felt clearer. He felt like he could actually think straight if he got into contact with Potter again. But then, at the thought of Potter, Draco had felt a pang in his heart. He hadn't seen the bloke in six days and he felt the urge to go look for him that instant. Draco ignored the urge, of course.

The Slytherin sighed and plopped himself into the snow by the lake. Despite the cold, the lake had never froze over to Draco's knowledge. It was probably some kind of merfolk magic. He watched a large black round thing pop up through the surface of the water a good distance away and then plunge itself back in a few seconds later. He laid himself down against the cold ground and stared up at the sky. A daydream of Harry Potter laying there next to him flitted across his mind and he frowned, feeling a strange emptiness settle in his stomach. _This_ _potion is beginning to feel more and more _real_._

He sat up and headed towards the carriages to Hogsmeade. Maybe he just needed to be around other people.

* * *

"Wow, Seamus, did you actually _make_ all of this?" Harry gaped at the picnic blanket that the two of them had spread over the ground. They had cast a warming spell to melt the snow in a large enough space. Harry was kneeling beside Seamus and watched as he removed food from his rucksack. One by one, he pulled out two bowls of steaming hot soup, two small plates of delicious-looking salad, and two bottles of what looked like butterbeer. "It looks great!"

Seamus blushed darkly, removing the charmed plastic film that covered each dish. "Well, my mum actually made the soup, but the rest was my idea."

Harry smiled and the two of them tucked in. By the time they were halfway through, neither of them felt even a hint of cold, even though the snow was steadily falling all around them.

Seamus chugged down the last of his butterbeer and began to put their dishes back into the bag, swatting away Harry's hands when he tried to help. When the picnic cloth was clean again, the Irishman reached into his pocket and pulled out another one of those sheets of paper with candy drops on them. He set the bag down and sat cross-legged in front of the other boy. "Want to try one, Harry?"

Harry sucked in air through his teeth. "With my luck, I'll get a horrible one."

"Don't be silly. I've never had a horrible one in my life." He held out the paper for emphasis. "C'mon. Just one?"

"Alright, just one," Harry finally conceded, grabbing the paper from Seamus' hand. He chose a random button and peeled it off. "Here goes," he popped it into his mouth. He didn't miss Seamus's small smile.

"What flavour is it?"

"Cherry, I think," Harry muttered, swishing the small tart around in his mouth. He held the paper back out to Seamus, but it floated to the floor as their gazes locked.

"Harry?" Seamus asked, tilting his head at Harry's suddenly serious expression. "What's wrong?"

From his kneeling position on the blanket, Harry slid one knee forward and laid his left hand on the ground. Never breaking eye contact, he brought his other knee forward until it brushed against Seamus's leg.

"Ha – mmf"! Seamus exclaimed as Harry pounced, bringing his lips crashing onto the red-head's. The two of them fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Harry clutched one of his hands in Seamus's hair as their mouths moved together in a way that sent chills down the Golden Boy's spine. He felt a vibration run through him as Seamus let out a stifled groan. In the next moment, Harry found their roles switched and felt the other man's hands on his chest.

* * *

Draco kicked a patch of snow.

Walking around Hogsmeade hadn't helped to ease the empty feeling at all. Mostly, it increased it. How was Draco to know there were so many happy couples walking around Hogsmeade this close to Christmas? Shouldn't they all be in their homes, eating eachother's faces in privacy?

Catching sight of the old haunted house in the distance, he smirked. Maybe he would get a good scare and it would distract him for at least a little while. He started forward, turning down the wide alley that led to the gates. Draco scowled at the sight that met him. Another couple. These two were rolling around on the ground together on what looked like a picnic blanket. _Pathetic_, Draco thought sulkily.

He closed in on the two, about to interrupt and suggest they go find a room, when his heart suddenly plummeted into his feet. It was a truly painful sensation.

"Potter?"

* * *

_A/N: Uh oh._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**

* * *

**

"_Potter?"_

Draco felt choked, his heart sinking miserably. This couldn't be reality. Potter would _never..._ with _Seamus?_

At that moment, he felt something brush across his shin and he looked down. It was a half-finished sheet of candy dots, flapping against his leg in the biting wind. He stooped to pick it up, instantly suspicious. He only knew of one wizarding sweets shop that carried those, and he couldn't imagine the golden boy willingly paying a visit there for innocent candy. He flipped it to the back and, sure as day, it read "_Alice's Malice: Charmed Sweets Shop."_

In a blur of movement, Malfoy plunged forward and grabbed at the collar of Seamus' robes. With a low growl, he wrenched the Gryffindor to his feet. Giving him a violent shake for good measure, Draco demanded "Who the bloody hell do you think you are, Finnigan?"

Seamus, being quite a few inches shorter than Malfoy, was only able to push at the ground with the tips of his toes. The blond didn't even seem to bat an eye at his weight. Had he always been this strong? Seamus was almost intimidated. His mouth opened and closed silently for a few seconds. "Wh-What are you on about, Malfoy? Can't you see I'm on a date?"

"A _date?_" Malfoy repeated savagely, causing Seamus to flinch. He nodded his head towards the sheet of candy drops laying in the snow. "You call drugging someone into snogging you a date? And how in the hell did you get Potter to agree to a date with you in the first place?"

Something changed in Seamus' expression and his eyes slowly lightened with comprehension. He smiled - a small, condescending gesture - and leaned forward. "Oh, it wasn't terribly difficult. Why? Did you want him all for yourself, Malfoy? Can't share your toys?"

In the next instant, Draco's fist connected soundly with Finnigan's jaw, and he sprawled backwards into the snow. He flailed and clutched at his face, howling like a kicked puppy.

Harry stood a mere three feet away, hanging on to the piece of paper, looking like he'd just been punched himself. He made no move to help the Irishman off the ground.

Seamus scrambled to his feet, rubbing his jaw tenderly. He glared at Malfoy and looked as if he was about to speak.

"One more word, Finnigan, and I'll tear you to pieces." The look on the blond's face must have hinted at his seriousness, because the boy turned tail and ran toward the castle.

A few moments of silence fell across the field until Harry finally spoke, "I could have handled that myself, Malfoy."

The blond cast him a sideways glance, his expression doubtful. "Yes, and you were doing so well with that, weren't you? Trying to snog him to death, obviously. Why didn't I think of that?"

Harry frowned, a deep blush coloring his cheeks. "I would've figured it out."

"Yeah, after he'd already had his way with you." Malfoy shuddered at the thought.

Harry suddenly took a step towards the Slytherin. "Still. You didn't have to punch him."

Malfoy widened his eyes at him in surprise. "He deserved it! He drugged you and called you a toy! He deserves worse than just a sore face." He jabbed his thumb in the general direction of the castle. "What _I_ did was going too _easy_ on him."

"I can take care of myself," the brunette muttered, staring up at the white sky with his brow furrowed.

Draco narrowed his eyes and finally turned to face the other boy. "Just admit it!" he snapped, "I saved your arse just then. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't stumbled upon your little 'rendezvous." At that, the blond frowned. It wasn't something he wanted to think about.

Harry was taking another step forward, bringing him within arm's reach. "You're right," he said quietly with a very strange expression Draco couldn't identify. The Gryffindor's emerald eyes shone brightly with the sunlight bouncing off the white snow. Draco dimly realized he'd stopped breathing. "I guess you're my hero, then."

At a loss, Draco said the first thing that he could think of: "Someone has to be Harry Potter's hero now and then."

A smile spread across Harry's face and Draco was only able to stare. The blond wasn't used to seeing Potter's smile up close, or directed at him for that matter. But here it was, and Draco seemed frozen. So it came as even more of a shock when Harry suddenly lurched forward and threw his arms around Draco's neck, pulling him into a strong hug. "Thank you," the brunette mumbled into his shoulder.

The Slytherin tensed, his eyes widening at the sudden contact. He wondered at the sudden feeling of tingly warmth that was spreading through his body despite the cold. Slowly, he raised his arms to wrap them around Harry's form. The action brought them just a little bit closer and Harry's scent assaulted him. It reminded him of a mixture of cinnamon and the woods. Then the brunette tilted his head only slightly and his lips were ghosting across Draco's bare neck in a way that was far too affectionate to be accidental. Butterflies burst to life in his stomach, making it very difficult to breath. When a low moan broke through the silence, he was surprised when he found it had come from Harry. The sound sent vibrations down his spine and he felt his more important bits beginning to stir. "Err, Ha-Harry," Draco croaked in warning, trying to pull away but when Harry made a noise of protest, he found himself utterly unable to move a muscle.

Harry tightened his hold on the blond, and Draco could feel a distinct hardness against his thigh. One of the brunette's hands trailed lightly over Draco's chest, heading south. "Mm, Draco," Harry moaned the name into his skin, dragging it out.

This just wasn't _fair. _Draco's head was swimming and his knees felt like flan. Potter was driving his senses crazy, and he barely understood what was going on. He would have been happy to let the brunette continue his ministrations. But the hand that rested on his shoulder was still holding on to that ruddy sheet of candy dots. It crinkled in his ear annoyingly, snapping him out of his trance-like state. The potion! Swiftly, he caught Harry's hand before it got too far. "Harry... er, Potter. Please . . . stop," he panted.

Harry looked up at him, expression confused and a little hurt.

Draco sighed. "You're drugged, Potter. I wouldn't want to . . . take advantage of you." Merlin, it sounded so Hufflepuff coming out of his mouth, but that was what this potion was doing to him. Turning him into a ponce - in more ways than one.

The Gryffindor said nothing, not moving away and not dropping his frown.

"Let's get you to the Hospital Wing. Pomfrey might be able to fix you." Draco grabbed on to a pouting Potter's wrist and led him towards the castle.

The carriage ride to Hogwarts was uneventful. Unless you count the smoldering glances Harry kept passing him and the occasional sneaky touch that would leave poor Draco studiously imagining a naked Hagrid in order to remove other pictures from his mind. It had worked, mostly.

They were just a few corridors away when Harry snaked his arms around Draco's waist from behind and began to trail kisses up his neck to just behind his ear. He used a combination of lips, tongue, and teeth to have Draco's stomach doing cartwheels. "Where did you learn to do that?" Draco mumbled helplessly.

The blond's eyes fluttered and his hands pushed weakly at Harry's arms. Instead of answering his question, Harry easily turned him around and pinned him to the corridor's wall. A very Malfoy-like smirk was spreading across his face. "Draco," he purred into the blond's ear. "I know you want me. Why don't you just take me, then? Right now."

Draco seriously thought he might have a heart attack right there in the corridor. He would have never guessed this side of Harry existed. He'd have to reconsider his opinion on those candy buttons . . . . No, Draco thought firmly, shaking his head slightly. He decided he would stupefy the boy and just carry him to the Hospital Wing.

Just as soon as he remembered how to move.

"There's an empty classroom right behind us," Harry muttered, now placing soft kisses around his face - everywhere except his mouth, which would aggravate Draco if Harry's hand wasn't inching it's way underneath his shirt.

"Okay," Draco blurted.

Just as Harry was beginning to back away, a familiar voice sprung up behind them, "Just what is going on here?"

Draco shoved the brunette away from him, blushing brightly and making a show of dusting off his sleeves.

Madam Pomfrey glanced sharply between the two boys before saying, "Follow me. Now." She turned on her heel and began shuffling toward the Hospital Wing. Draco followed suit, looking everywhere but at the emerald-eyed boy beside him.

"Take a seat, boys."

Draco sat down carefully on one of the crisp, white hospital beds. He felt the bounce in the mattress as Harry opted to sit on the same bed, flush against the Slytherin's side. He smiled up at him in a distracted sort of way, seemingly oblivious to the Healer. Draco sighed.

"Mr. Finnegan was in here just moments ago with a very nearly broken jaw." Madam Pomfrey began, staring down with fists on her hips.

Draco almost sighed again in relief. So they _weren't_ in trouble for public displays of indecency.

"He mentioned that the two of you have something to do with it. Would you like to explain yourselves or should I just owl the Headmaster straight away?"

In order to avoid one of Harry's hands that was inching it's way towards Draco's leg, he scooted down the bed a foot and looked up at the angry Healer. He frowned and said, "Actually, it was defense, Madam Pomfrey. Seamus was using a - a lust charm on Harry today in order to speed up their little 'date'," he used finger-quotations to emphasize his point. He snatched the candy buttons out of Harry's hand (only mildly surprised that he was still holding them) and held it out to the Healer. "He used these."

After a moment of examining the object, the healer clicked her tongue. "Oh, dear. These are _quite_ against the rules." Her sharp eyes suddenly snapped up to the students again. "How do I know this isn't yours, Mr. Malfoy?"

Malfoy gaped at her, "You think I would want to drug Potter into . . . err . . . liking me? I'm not... I mean, I don't like Potter like that."

There was a strange glint in the Healer's eye when she said, "That's not at all what it looked like out in the corridor."

"Uh- but-" Malfoy stuttered, "That was -"

"I may be old, but I'm not blind. And anyway, Professor Snape has kindly informed me of your own situation."

"What?" Draco choked in surprise. "He said he wouldn't tell anyone!

"Professor Snape keeping his word? Now, don't be so naive. I believe he meant it in your best interest."

"How is telling my secrets in my best interests?" he demanded petulantly.

"Well, first thing's first," she moved quickly to a nearby cabinet and threw the doors open. Clinking sounds filled the room for a moment before she finally brought out a bright blue bottle. "Harry's not the only one to be subjected to Alice Malice's. It's a simple charm, so a simple potion should fix him right up." She held the potion out to Harry, who ignored her completely in favor of running his fingers through Draco's hair. She huffed and held the potion out to Draco instead, who took it reluctantly. "You make him take it then."

Draco heaved another sigh and pried Harry's hands from his hair. "C'mon, Potter, take this," he said, unstopping the vial and holding it up to the Gryffindor's lips. Harry obediently opened his mouth, closing his eyes, completely trusting the Slytherin. At this sight, Draco stilled for a moment. Would he ever get to see this side of Harry again? Would Harry ever trust him?

It doesn't matter, he concluded._ I'm going to take the antidote for this love potion soon. And then I'll be back to hating every fiber of his being. Right? _Nodding to himself, he tipped Harry's chin back and poured the vial into his mouth.

Harry swallowed with a shudder and a grimace. But he immediately fell backwards onto the mattress, fast asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I was going to post this yesterday, but I decided to change something at the last minute._

_A/N 2: I would just like to say thank you to all who reviewed - it really brightens up my mood! I can't believe I've been on this story for 5 years. It seems like only yesterday I started it. I'm thinking I really should have made this a oneshot because the chapters are embarassingly short. I'm also wondering whether I should write you a lemon. What do you think? Any suggestions?_

**Chapter Seven**

When Harry awoke, he had to blink several times before he realized he wasn't in his dorm. Yawning, he felt around on the side table for his glasses. As soon as he slipped them on, he realized he was in the infirmiry.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter," greeted Madam Pomfrey, materializing at his side. "How are you feeling?"

"A little confused. What happened?"

The healer furrowed her brow a bit and checked his forehead with the back of her hand. "You don't remember, dear?"

"I remember being in Hogsmeade... I must have hit my head then. I don't remember a thing." He yawned again, seemingly unconcerned with his lost memory. "What time is it?"

"It's seven A.M., Mr. Potter. You were out since yesterday afternoon." The woman seemed torn, as if she wanted to say something else. Eventually, she seemed to decide against it. It was just then that Harry noticed she was carrying a tray of breakfast food. She laid it on Harry's lap just as his stomach let out a loud rumble. She smiled distractedly. "Eat up," she commanded simply and bustled away towards another awakening student.

He munched on buttered toast in silence, musing the day before. He couldn't say he was surprised to wake up in the Hospital Wing. After all, he'd been long overdue for a visit with the absence of Quidditch practice. What had he been doing in Hogsmeade? He remembered seeing Seamus there. _Oh,_ Harry thought with a start, feeling his stomache flipflop. _It was a date._ Strangely, he also remembered Malfoy being there.

But what had happened?

A sound interupted his musings and he looked towards the entrance to see a familiar blond standing in the doorway. He stepped in, his eyes locked on Harry. He narrowed his eyes at him, but the Slytherin didn't return the animosity. He seemed as if he was waiting for something. As Harry stared at his face, he felt as if he was trying to put together a puzzle with no luck. A kind of light was flickering in his mind, but he let it go in favor of his scrambled egg. "What are you staring at, Malfoy?"

Madam Pomfrey materialized again and was at Draco's side. They were talking about something, but Harry couldn't hear it. He immediately put down the bit of egg he'd been spearing with his fork and stared at the two of them suspiciously. What were they hiding?

Draco reacted to Pomfrey's words by glancing at Harry, mouth open in surprise. He mumbled something back at her and she walked away again. Curiously, Draco walked toward Harry's bed and sat on the edge.

Harry stared at him.

"How do you feel?" the blond asked curiously, his eyes raking over Harry's face studiously.

"What did you do to me yesterday?"

Draco blinked and his head tilted to the side only slightly. "_I_ didn't do anything, Potter. What do you remember of yesterday?"

The Gryffindor sighed as his breakfast tray dissappeared with a pop. He looked back up at the blond with an annoyed expression. He decided to humor him. "Next to nothing. I remember being at Hogsmeade with Seamus. And then you showed up for some reason. And I don't remember anything else." There was silence for a few seconds and Harry finally demanded, "I know you know what happened, Malfoy. Tell me."

Malfoy seemed conflicted. He finally said: "Seamus Finnigan slipped you some charmed sweets - the kind that induce feelings of lust."

Harry furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

Draco sighed, unwilling to have to explain it. "I guess he thought he could get into your trousers that way."

"_Seamus?_" Harry asked incredulously, shaking his head. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would he do that?"

"Well, it makes a bit of sense," Draco mused. "He wanted you, and knew he couldn't get your attention easily. So he drugged you into it."

Snapping his head up to glare at the blond, Harry scowled. "That's something only a Slytherin like you would think up."

Draco looked insulted, "Even _I_ wouldn't do something that low, Potter."

"I wouldn't put it past you," Harry snapped.

The blond stalled for a moment, confused at Harry's hostility. He ran his fingers along a spot on his chest as though stung there. Frowning, he looked away.

Harry slightly released the tension in his shoulders, feeling very awkward. He'd expected some kind of insult in return. Even just a "Shut up, Potter" would have sufficed. But this version of Malfoy appeared almost human. "Why are you acting so different?" Harry wondered out loud.

Draco was saved from having to reply because Madam Pomfrey showed up just then. "Mr. Potter, you're free to go. Happy Christmas, by the way."

"Happy Christmas, Madam Pomfrey," Harry replied and leapt out of the bed, heading for the door. The sound of footsteps made him look over his shoulder to see Malfoy following closely behind. He kept walking, hoping he would take a different turn.

By the time he'd gotten to Gryffindor tower, he could still hear Malfoy's footsteps. Harry spun around to tell him to shove off, but the action caused Malfoy to bump into him, knocking him back a few steps. He hadn't realized he was against a wall until the blond caged him with his arms on either side of him. Draco's head slowly dipped lower and his scent washed over Harry like a breeze.

Something seemed to snap in his mind. The candy dots, the rush of foreign feelings, and the way Draco Malfoy had come to his rescue - it all came back to him and Harry reeled from the information. His gaze connected with Malfoys, who had stopped closing in. And he remembered Malfoy. His taste, his scent, his warmth - he had been all over him the previous afternoon. And then he had almost - "Oh, Merlin," Harry lamented, covering his face in his hands. "I remember."

Draco took a step back, albeit shakily. He gave the brunette a knowing, sympathetic look and said, "It was the charm. You couldn't really control what you were doing."

"But I still..." Harry breathed in sharply, "and you were going to let me embarass myself like that!" He suddenly pointed a finger at Malfoy, who paled, "if Pomfrey hadn't shown up."

"I managed to get you to the Hospital Wing, didn't I?" Malfoy bit, crossing his arms.

"Barely. You could've shoved me away or stunned me or something. You almost let me drag you into an empty classroom and have my way with you. What, so you can brag to your friends or something?"

Draco was clenching his jaw angrily with a sharp glare. "Well, aren't you full of yourself," he commented dryly. He was satisfied when he saw Harry falter and begin to calm down. "I tried to stop you." He looked Harry square in the eye and seemed to be trying to convey honesty. "But I couldn't."

"Why?" Harry asked, confused again.

"You are such an idiot, Potter. I'm in love with you."

Harry's heart felt like it was frozen for a second. "What?"

Sighing shakily, Draco walked to Harry side and looked at the floor. He explained the incident as thoroughly as he could. Harry patiently waited, leaning against the wall for support.

"That explains a lot," Harry mused. There were no other explanations of Malfoy's strange behavior he could think of that made as much sense. "But if you're telling me the truth, you should have gone to Snape. Wouldn't he have an antidote?"

"I'm not a dolt, Potter; I went to Snape days ago. Apparantly, it's not a known substance so there's no known antidote. At least not until tomorrow when the other students come back." He turned to face the other boy. "I didn't go to anyone else. I don't really want this getting out."

"I don't blame you," Harry found himself saying. If _he_ had been forced to fall in love with _Malfoy._ He shook his head to clear that thought. It felt weird just conversing with him. He pushed himself up from the wall and moved to stand by the entrance. "I need to go talk to Seamus. We should... y'know... just stay away from eachother until we get this sorted out," he offered lamely.

Draco nodded stiffly and stood up from the wall as well.

Just then, Harry realized something. "It must have been horrible yesterday."

"It was downright torture," the blond said quietly. His eyes were drawn to the ceiling just then and back down to Harry. He took a few steps forward until he was, yet again, in Harry Potter's personal bubble. "Just being next to you is torture."

Harry blinked, "What are you doing?"

Draco nodded toward the ceiling and Harry looked up at something he hadn't noticed before - a giant twisted mass of green and red. Mistletoe. _That is so cliche_, Harry thought to himself. He didn't have much time to think about that because the blond had snaked his arms around Harry's waist to tug him closer.

He was again reminded of the previous day and how much he had truly enjoyed trying to seduce Malfoy. Even the memory of kissing Seamus full on was not as enticing. Harry thought about pulling away and running for the Gryffindor tower. Then he stopped thinking because butterflies had burst to life in his stomach.

Draco removed the rest of the space between them and brushed his lips lightly against Harry's. The Gryffindor was frozen for a moment, but only a moment, and then he was pressing himself closer, tilting his head to allow more access. Draco deepened the kiss passionately, sure his knees were going to give out with relief. He'd half expected to be hexed for this.

Harry then reached up and threaded his fingers through Draco's silver hair, marveling at their silkiness. Draco made an appreciative sound in the back of his throat as he dragged his hands across the brunette's chest, feeling the contours of the muscles he had always secretly known were there.

When Draco slowly pulled himself away a few minutes later, Harry reached out to pull him back in. Draco gave in for a few more seconds, relishing what he knew was to be the first and last time he kissed Harry Potter. But with a furrowing of his brow, he regained control and took a step back, gave the brunette a small bow and turned on his heel.

He was gone before Harry could catch his breath.

Harry stepped through the doorway and into the Gryffindor common rooms. Dazed, his eyes searched the room aimlessly. He caught sight of Dean sitting alone at a small table, leaning over a few rolls of parchment.

"Dean," Harry said, walking up to him. "Do you know where Seamus is?"

The boy looked up from his seat and shrugged. "He's been in the dorms all morning. Good luck getting in there, though. He locked himself in during breakfast." Dean sighed bitterly and went back to his essay.

Harry frowned slightly and sprinted up the stairs and turned on the door handle uselessly. "Seamus!"

Silence.

"I know you're in there and I need to talk to you." Harry shouted through the door.

There was a muffled shout that he couldn't understand and more silence.

"I'm friends with Hermione, Seamus. I _know_ how to open a locked door." Harry thought he heard a sigh and finally the door clicked open. He pushed the door ajar and caught sight of Seamus sitting on his bed, looking dejected. Harry moved to sit on the edge of his own bed, which was right across from the redhead's. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, not sure how to begin.

He didn't have to. Seamus began speaking, "That didn't really turn out how I meant it." His expression was downtrodded and a more than a little guilty. "I was so... nervous... Like a ruddy thirteen year old girl or something. I didn't want anything to be spoiled, so I went to Knockturn Alley because I heard they made stuff that keeps your confidence up. Sortof like a pepperup potion but more for romantic purposes. And when I was in the shop, the keeper was telling me about all these different products. She was very persuasive - I suspect magic, actually. Anyway, she was taking me through the sweets aisle and there were the candy dots. She told me it was perfect for me. She said, 'Just use one and you won't have to worry about the night ending well.'" He sighed lamentfully, wrapping his arms around his bent knees. "I was an idiot to go to Knockturn. I just thought that - well, I really don't know what I was thinking. I'm really sorry, Harry. I went and spoiled everything anyway."

Harry pursed his lips subconciously and stared down at the wooden flooring. "What you said - when you were taunting Malfoy - did you mean that?" he mumbled after a few moments.

Seamus looked up at him quickly, blinking, "_Merlin_, no! It must have been the confidence potion I took. I never once thought of you that way. Look, Harry, I really messed this up. I don't blame you if you don't trust me anymore, but I truly am sorry."

Willing himself not to feel guilty for saying it, Harry blurted, "You were being really stupid."

"I know. I've got detentions with Snape every Saturday for a month, if that helps."

Harry looked up at his housemate and gave him a small smile. "I'll forgive you, but only because I know you're not evil - just an idiot."

Said housemate smiled back, scratching his nose awkwardly, "Thanks, Harry."

* * *

Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway to Professor Snape's office, waiting for him to look up from his papers. He cleared his throat to announce his arrival.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?" the professor said without looking up.

"Something's different. With the potion, I mean."

Snape finally looked up from his desk and nodded once, "Perhaps it's wearing off."

The blond's expression was torn. "I don't think so, Professor. It sortof feels better . . . but also worse, in a way."

"Well, that makes perfect sense."

Draco ignored the comment to focus on a shelf of pickled pig snouts on the far wall. "When it first started, all I wanted to do was shag Potter into the ground."

Snape make a choking noise and looked around at his desk, probably for something he could use as a projectile weapon.

"I mean, I still do, but I also want to just... talk to him. His face is always on my mind and when he's not around... I _miss _him." Draco frowned at that realization.

"Aww," Snape said, arms crossed and compeletely sarcastic.

"It's just that I don't even _want_ to fight it."

The professor dropped his arms and leaned forward. "You have to, Mr. Malfoy. You'll regret it very deeply if you let yourself act on it. The potion is bound to wear off soon enough, and the students come back from holidays tomorrow. We'll bring the Hufflepuff into my office for questioning. Rest assured, detentions are certainly in order for him as well as Ms. Parkinson. In the meantime, please stay out of the corridors."

* * *

Next chapter will be the last one!


End file.
